Tea Party vs. Real Tea Party, Rhetoric vs. Real Action

Right Side News ^ | March 26, 2009 | JB Williams

[PlainOleAmerican]

I am excited to see some Americans waking up and joining in what have become more than a thousand planned Tea Party demonstrations across the nation next month. It's a great first step in the right direction. But it is only a first step!

Well-intentioned pro-Constitutional America blogs like Free Republic are dedicating resources in a "call to action" promoting a "politically correct" re-enactment (of sorts) of the Boston Tea Party. (Call to action: Tea Party USA!) - But there is a very significant difference between the Boston Tea Party of 1773 and today's politically correct version...

The difference is, our nation's founders had the courage of their convictions. They understood that courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the willingness to act in the face of fear. Today's Americans are simply playing at freedom. They no longer have the courage of their convictions.

In 1773, Americans didn't just come together to swill a café latte and mail tea bags to their deaf representatives in Washington DC, who were busily dismantling their nation. They tossed tons of tea into the Boston harbor and flatly refused to pay another wooden nickel in excessive taxation.

[PlainOleAmerican]

FR mention and a great read concerning today's Tea Party efforts!

[ishabibble]

Read the whole thing, you'll be surprised at how timely this article is, in light of the Obama admin’s rulings.

[DesertRhino]

Exactly right. I heard someone the other day advise people against mailing real tea bags to congress because it might violate some rule against scary powder in the mail.

All i could think of was colonists, boarding a ship, and destroying and entire cargo illegally. That wasnt a rule following exercise for them. They were REBELLING. We are careful to follow every rule. Same with the people in Iowa who were forbidden from dumping real tea in the river due to environmental laws. A REAL tea party would do it, then dare anyone to stop them. Real tar and feathers for some modern congressmen.. THATs what i want to see.

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

I think this writer underestimates the American people and the significance of these tea parties.

[NTHockey]

The gauntlet has been thrown. The challenge has been issued. We have been DARED to save our great country.

Or are we truly a “nation of cowards”?

[Excellence]

The tax was on tea. They threw the tea overboard because they were not going to pay tax on it. They did not have their tax intercepted and confiscated out of their paychecks before they even saw it.

[NTHockey]

The gauntlet has been thrown. The challenge has been issued. We have been DARED to save our great country.

Or are we truly a “nation of cowards”?

[DesertRhino]

Maybe, but at some point, congress need to regain a healthy sense of fear of Americans who understand the constitution. If our modern-style polite tea parties are a one time deal, they won’t,, if it becomes a nucleus of a bigger active politician firing movement, maybe.

At some point, we will have to get their attention. Firing them will work, so might an angry mob someday.

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

Understood and agree - the tone of the writer got my ire up.

Lots of folks ready to get their attention - peacefully I hope but definitely against some rules.

[DesertRhino]

Oh and FYI, im with you 100%. I hate trying to get tone of voice in written words. LOL

[Le Chien Rouge]

Today’s American is scared of their government. They dare not stop funding the evil that has a death grip on their nation for fear of losing everything they have accumulated, or ending up in prison.

I agree.

I am going to keep repeating this over and over:

1)Hold these demonstrations at elected officials offices.

2)Repeat same demonstration at elected officials homes at 4AM!!!!

3) Lets use use Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals against these officials and scare the living hell out of them.

4) Ignore the media and ignore the liberal supporters.
Focus all attention directly at elected officials.

The time for being civil is over.

The time for getting “medieval on their asses” as now begun.

Flame away......

[DesertRhino]

And i DO have very high hopes that this movement starts to turn heads. Our side of the fence is usually orderly, so i hope they dont mistake it for lack of anger.

Admittedly, we dont sit down at the tavern getting tamked up on rum and cider anymore then storm a cargo ship and destroy everything in the hold. Maybe we need more conservative taverns.

[Red_Devil 232]

I have been criticized for posting this on other threads because it not really what happened at the original Boston Tea Party.

It is a youtube video. It shows a segment from an old Disney movie (1957) and was shown on TV later as a series. I and many other childern larned a lot of history from these types of movies and TV series.

The leader is Thomas Paine and the march through town is after the Tea was thrown into Boston Harbor.

Its A Tall Oak Tree

[The Toad]

Today's American is scared of their government. They dare not stop funding the evil that has a death grip on their nation for fear of losing everything they have accumulated, or ending up in prison.

Very true. I've been sending a lot of letters to my senators and congressman. My wife wants me to stop it because she is "afraid of the government".

My 10-year-old daughter said, "Dad, is the government going to come and put you in jail?"

Good liberal friends of ours also said they are afraid of the government.

This is sad. I feel that already it is too late....

[azcap]

The author makes a profound point. The rebels took physical action against the government. There was no ignoring it and the actions had great consequences to both the King and his subjects. These tea parties and rallies are nice and heartening to see for conservatism, but they are really nothing more than a way of communicating dissatisfaction to a our handful of elected representatives. They don't do anything more than a letter or email campaign, or TV ads by a 527.  Despite their growing size and scope they are still largely ignored by the media. The media is fully on the side of big government socialism. Even if a million people gathered on the mall it would be nothing more than a blurb on the news.

    Yes you say, but Congress will see the anger of the American people and change their ways. Really? Congress already knows that a little less than half of America doesn't support big government. It is not as if these tea parties are going to introduce an unknown conservative movement to the mix. Congress, liberals, RINOs and all the others know exactly how people feel. They are simply choosing to ignore the minority and serve their own interests and the interests of the looter mobs that will continue to elect them. 
    The Founding Fathers wrote countless letters to the King addressing their grievances. The King knew full well that a vocal minority of the Americans were unhappy. It wasn't until they stopped writing letters and threw his tea in the harbor, until they started taking shots at his soldiers that change came.

     What can we do today to rebel? I don't have the answer, but protest is just that, a cry of injustice. It is far short of rebellion, or even civil disobedience.

 

 

 

[Recovering_Democrat]

Sounds like the writer is suggesting we not pay our taxes. S/he doesn’t say whether they have stopped paying theirs, as far as I saw. :)

[gjones77]

Everything the author has said is true, we’ve talked a great game, but I do believe now is the time for true action.

Times now are as they were then, we are being taxed without any true for of representation, out elected officials no longer work in the best interest of the people, they only work in their own best interest.

We as a people need to make a stand, our government is no longer sufficiently afraid of it’s people as they should be, they longer fear any form of recourse for their actions because they know they can’t all be kicked out at once.

I believe it’s time we focus our great many resources on first kicking every single politician our of Washington who hasn’t worked in the best interest of the people.

I believe we need to not just march on Washington and protest in front of the Capitol, we need to force our way into the senate and state house en mass when they are in session and let them know exactly how we feel, nothing short of installing abject fear in their hearts, so much so that anyone who has worked against our country, the Constitution, and it’s people retires or quits on the spot.

It’s about time that We The People do our job, we as a people have failed because we allowed them to do this, so now it’s about time we stop them.

[PlainOleAmerican]

Don’t think so. I think people overestimate the effect they can have without taking serious action against a very serious enemy.

[PlainOleAmerican]

Amen!

[PlainOleAmerican]

We’re about to find out!